Nicki Coertze, 58, was on a safari with his family when he spotted the albino elephant calf drinking from a river with his mom and herd, Caters News reported.

"I was really hoping the pink [elephant] would play in the water a bit and wash all the dirt off, so we could see him in all his pinkness," Coertze said to Caters News.

Coertze said that in none of his photos were the elephant's eyes were wide open: "Albino elephants are renowned to not have strong eye sight. They tend to have pink eyes that are very sensitive to sunlight."

He said he makes regular trips to Kruger National Park, and has never seen another pink elephant in his life. Caters News also reported that albino elephants are extremely rare amongst African breeds.